In most mammals, mucous membranes line the passages by which internal organs communicate with the exterior environment. By way of example but not limitation, the two primary mammalian tracts (i.e., the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts) are lined with mucous membranes. These mucous membranes are generally soft and velvety, and very vascular, and their surfaces are coated over by their mucous secretion, which is typically of a viscous consistency. The mucous serves to protect tissue from foreign substances which may be introduced into the body.
In order to provide a training tool for physicians and other medical personnel who are learning endoscopic insertion techniques and therapeutic procedures, it has been found desirable to provide a clinically realistic anatomical model of the mucous membranes which line the two primary mammalian tracts, i.e., the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts.
Many, if not most, of the prior art anatomical models of the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts are single-walled tubular models which are positioned on a base plate. These single-walled tubular models generally utilize elastomeric materials such as silicone or a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) to simulate the pliable, compliant nature of a gastrointestinal and/or genitourinary tract organ, e.g., the bowel, etc.
However, there are many deficiencies associated with these prior art anatomical models.
For example, elastomeric materials tend to have a high coefficient of friction, which is the opposite of the slippery mucous-lined anatomy of the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts. Thus, forming the anatomical model out of an elastomer makes it difficult to pass the instrumentation (e.g., an endoscope) through the anatomical model in a realistic manner. One solution to this problem is to add a lubricant to the anatomical model and/or the instrumentation. However, this approach is not completely satisfactory, since the lubricant can dry out, even in a relatively short time period, which can then make it even more difficult to pass instrumentation through the model.
Another significant deficiency of prior art anatomical models is that these models fail to realistically incorporate the external compression (e.g., abdominal pressure from adjacent organs) which acts on the gastrointestinal and/or genitourinary tract. For example, the bowel and the urethra are both tubular organs which typically lay in a flat condition when these organs are not distended. Prior art anatomical models are generally constructed with self-supporting walls which do not simulate the lay-flat anatomy which is being compressed by abdominal pressure from adjacent organs.
In addition to the foregoing, the gastrointestinal and/or genitourinary tracts are typically supported by the adjacent anatomy via movable connections. By way of example but not limitation, the small bowel is typically movably supported by the mesentery. Prior art anatomical models are generally constructed with fixed supports which do not properly simulate the movable connections which can be characteristic of the gastrointestinal and/or genitourinary tracts.
For these reasons, and others, there is presently a need for a more realistic and accurate anatomical model which can be used as a training tool for physicians and other medical personnel to learn endoscopic insertion techniques and therapeutic procedures.